kelvin temp?

[nvert]

just reading more info on kelvin preferences for clams. what kelvin do you keep your's at? i have a 10k 175w with 2-95 actinic vho's. seems to be ok but i'm only going on three months with my derasa and a few days with my crocea and i know that they come from different depths in the ocean. what do you think?

[Hippopus]

In my show tanks I use a combination of 15,000k H3 bulbs and Ushio 10,000k bulbs. These are 400 watters.
Jim

[Barry N.]

invert,

Don't know how deep your tank is but in my 180 SPS/Clams tank with is 24" I run 3 x 250 MH w/2 140 watt VHO actinic suppliments.

Barry

[Captain Clam]

I like 10K lamps for my clams. I've heard they grow well under 6500 kelvin MH's too. I guess it depends on what your personal taste for color is. I think the higher you go on the kelvin scale, the more watts you should provide.

[nvert]

my tank is 16" deep and the 175w 10k sits about 4" above the water surface. i also supplement with actinics. the reason i posted this question is that from what i've *read* croceas and maximas do best under 55-65k and the rest will do well under higher kelvin temps but i just wanted to hear what other experienced clam keepers are doing. especially if you have different tridacnid species in one tank. in my lighting, my tank is very bright and sometimes the contrasts of shadows between the live rock is harsh. maybe a lower kelvin would or raising my lights a bit would decrease the harshness.

[SueT]

I have had clams under 65k iwasaki's only. I have though had them under both 250w and 400w 65k's. I can actually say some of the so called low light clams{squamosa and derasa} looked and reacted so much better under the 400w'ers. I now have 250w iwasaki's on both the 120 and the 180. The single derasa doesn't seem to me, to be acclimated yet and the bunch in the 180 just cruise right along.

my 180 ecosystem sps/clam tank:
http://berlinmethod.com/suet/
my 120 ecosystem sps tank:
http://suetruett.homestead.com/home.html

[nvert]

do you all find that higer wattage lights create a VERY bright tank? my roomate has nicknamed my tank chernobyl and it has only one 175mh and 2-95vho's! it's pretty funny when you're driving up the driveway at night and see the glow through the windows. you can probably see it from space.

i would like to get more light but on a 40g (only 16" deep), it just seems plain overkill but i KNOW the clams would benefit and i'm open for suggestions.

brad